Category: cheeky monkeys

This is my son after being told to “look normal”.

There wasn’t time to take any more photos because after this, it was off to school and the first day of kindergarten… finally.

It was the morning we should have had four days ago.  Again, he woke up bright and early, cheerful and eager to start the day. I dressed him in his uniform, while Mike packed his lunch. I loaded his brand new school supplies into the trunk of the car and made sure the camera had a full charge. He grabbed his backpack and put on his shoes. Then, we were off to begin the next exciting chapter in our lives.

Elementary School. It’s finally here and there’s no turning back.

Remember when I said having kids meant “things are never going to go perfectly according to my plans ever again”? And that I was so anxious about the first day of Kindergarten, because it was so heart-breaking.

Well, here’s where life takes you on a loopty-loop.

Scout woke us up before 5 am on Thursday. “Is it time for school, yet? Is it time?” He was bouncing with anticipation. “Go back to bed,” Mike told him, but he kept insisting that we get up. Then, I realized it wasn’t excitement, so much as panic in his voice and that he was actually gasping for air.

We’ve been dealing with asthma attacks since he was two years old. The steps are a familiar routine. The sound of the nebulizer is often a calming one. Relief is on the way! When he didn’t improve, I called the after-hours nurse. Mike administered a second treatment to buy us enough time to get to the hospital.

Instead of getting to school bright and early so he could be the first kid to arrive to class, he and I headed in the opposite direction so he could be the first patient to be seen for the day.

Instead of  photos of him walking up to the classroom… and with the teacher… and next to his very own cubby… and sitting at his desk… I have this to remember his first day of Kindergarten. My brave boy. In an urgent care unit. Gasping for breath.

Instead of eating a smiley face ham sandwich sitting next to his little friends, he sat across a tray table from me, munching on best stuff that I could forage from the hospital coffee shop.

Either way, I was still fighting back tears of guilt, bursts of pride, and pangs to hold my (baby) boy as close to me as possible.

Getting ready for the school year is easy for me. The long list of supplies, buying new uniforms and shoes, stocking the fridge with lunch items, scoping out the new teacher… These are just items to tick off my to-do list. Certainly nothing to get weepy and emotional about.

Then yesterday morning as I chided my son to eat faster so he won’t be late for camp… as I always do, it hit me.

He’s going to be in Kindergarten. My BABY is going to be in Kindergarten!

Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was peering into a bassinet at the little person I just bore from my body?

Weak, dizzy, and in pain from my emergency c-section, I realized things are never going to go perfectly according to my plans ever again, but one thing was for certain. I love this tiny being so much that I would commit murder to protect him. Five years later, I’m somehow supposed to let him just grow up and leave me?

It’s such a paradox. You raise your children (hopefully) to be self-sufficient and independent adults. You expect that one day they will  lead lives of their very own, apart and away from you. Yet, in practice there’s a well of self-doubt making you want to rush in and take over at every step along the way.

It’s not like he hasn’t been gradually working up to Kindergarten. We both have. For the past two years, he’s been in preschool. It started with two half-days a week. By the end of this past school year, he was attending three full-days a week. This summer, I signed him up for camp five days a week, which was conveniently held at his school and offered swim lessons, sports, and field trips. Some of his friends and teachers from preschool would even be there, too. Zero transition angst, right? I thought I won the working mom jackpot until we walked into the first day and realized it was nothing like I expected…

It wasn’t the cozy, touchy-feely sandbox of preschool. It was CAMP… with big kids who were used to being pushed (rather than gently transitioned) from one activity to the next. It’s wasn’t snacks, circle time, and making sure he eats all of his lunch. It was games he could keep up with, rejection from kids who weren’t that interested in hanging out with a “little kid”, and answering to camp counselors who didn’t necessarily understand his little five-year-old idiosyncrasies.

By the second week, he made such a scene at morning drop-off that the camp director told me I couldn’t leave him if he was being hysterical. I realized this wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought, but I had to work, I had meetings, I had OTHER stuff scheduled during this tiny sliver of time…

Reluctantly, I became THAT mom who writes letters to the teacher, demanding the special treatment and changes to the rules. He was quickly reassigned to a class called “Kindergarten Readiness”, ensuring that he was with the kids his own age all day. After that we had a rather pleasant summer, but what if I had  not intervened?

Our mornings were filled with much tears and anguish, so of course, I had to intervene. But  it’s a keen reminder that I’m not always going to be there to mediate, assess, and solve all of his world’s problems.  At some point, he has to do this one his own and I’m going to have to learn to let him.

Incidentally, I’ve decided to keep him home from his final days of camp so I can make googly eyes at him and randomly attack him with hugs and kisses. It’s my little way of  squeezing  every last drop of summer vacation, and possibly making sure he FULLY appreciates his hours of independence and self-sufficiency.

Remember: Leave a comment on this post for an additional entry into our Fill the Backpack giveaway. Each member of Splash Creative Media is offering a backpack overstuffed with over $750 worth of  Back to School merchandise.  Enter to win on any or on all of our blogs. 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Splash Creative Media as part of the Fill the Backpack Campaign. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are those of my own. 

I have no idea what it is about the toilets in my house that fascinate my children to no end. Yes, the TOILETS. Both of them… even the one who really should know better.  Ahem.

No less than fifty billion times a day, I’m telling one of them to get their hands out of the toilet, praying that whoever used it last actually remembered to flush (which is the other thing I am constantly saying to them…)

I tell them to stop. They do it again.

I threaten to get rid their hoard of toys (since they luuurrrve the potty so much). I find puddles on the bathroom floor.

I fill a tub with clean water and put in the backyard. They could care less.

I shut the lid and shut the door. They’re back in there with their sand buckets.

Big potty. Little potty. My potty. Their potty. All day long!

It is foul. It is disgusting, and if they don’t stop, I swear that I will make them live in a dumpster because I cannot live this way anymore.

My point is you can tell children “no” repeatedly every day for five years in a row. You can redirect, scold, threaten, beg, plead, cry, scream… You can read them excepts from The Hot Zone and tell them Ebola actually comes from the suburban bathrooms of mid-century track housing.

They will not listen. Because long before curiosity killed the cat, it killed a mother’s sanity. I highly recommend that you just not go down this road in the first place. Do yourself a favor and baby-proof your house.

Even if you think, “Oh no. I’ll just teach my kids boundaries…” or “My son never had an interest in XYZ, why would my daughter…”

Even if you don’t want your house to look like a baby lives there…

Even if it is the fourth house you’ve lived in in 18 months and you just don’t feel like baby-proofing yet again…

DO IT.

Rhoost, a fantastic sponsor of “All About the Bump” Month,  has been saving mothers’ (and fathers’) precious sanity for years.

From Rhoost’s line of functional, yet stylish safety products,  parents can find many ways to protect their children, without causing harm to furniture or fixtures.

Their products are easy to install- no adhesives or screws, portable, and simple to remove. The colors compliment any decor and are designed to blend into your home.

Okay, so perhaps you can make your house look like a baby doesn’t live there after all… Best of both worlds! DO IT.

***********************

This post is a part of All About the Bump Month and is sponsored by our many fabulous sponsors, like Rhoost. Have you entered to win the Bump Month giveaway with over $1000 in baby and mom products on Formerly Gracie.com? DO IT!

Here’s an extra entry: Comment on this post with your most hilarious, scary, or embarrassing baby-proofing (or lack thereof, as the case may be) mishap. I can’t wait to read them!

Thank you Old Navy for sponsoring my post today about baby and toddler styles. Old Navy is giving you 30% off everything in their baby and toddler summer collection, plus get an additional 15% off in-store.

This is Lou and oh my goodness, is she a joy to get dressed everyday!

Well, almost everyday… Okay, fine. Most of the time it’s a chore to navigate our way through her ever-changing opinions. There certainly are a lot of them. This past week she issued a cease and desist on jeans. Some days, I can’t get her our of her pajamas. A few weeks ago, she was all about her Halloween costume.

But as I always say, “high maintenance” is just another way to say “worth the effort”. So how do I keep my little fashionista’s closet chic, yet affordable?

Build a Year-round Wardrobe

My daughter’s expansive wardrobe is comprised of equal parts hand-me-downs, second-hand store finds, gifts, and sale items. I fill in the rest with solid basics, then mix and match the whole year-round.

For instance, I can extend the life of an adorable Summer dress by pairing it with a long-sleeve bodysuit and leggings for Fall and Winter. By next Spring that same dress can be worn as a shirt with shorts or capris.

From OldNavy.com: Ruffle-Tiered Corsage Dresses for Baby, Long-sleeve Bodysuit 3-pack, and Lace-Trim Legging 4-Packs for Baby

A rainbow of cardigan and hoodies completes her look and ensure that she will be content undressing and redressing herself all day long.   From OldNavy.com: Ruffled French Terry Jackets for Baby, Crochet-Trim Cardigans for Baby, “California” Applique Hoodies for Baby, and Denim Jackets for Baby does

I can get away with this because our Northern California weather is deceiving, at best. Just because it’s sunny, bright, and May doesn’t mean it’s warm. At the beach in Santa Cruz on Mother’s Day weekend, my girl wore a fleece jacket over layers to stay warm against the wind.

Meanwhile last February, she was ready to march outside barefoot to enjoy a sixty-four degree day.

From OldNavy.com: Jersey Capris and Puff-Sleeve Polo for Baby

Keep Color Simple

I actually think its cute when kids dress themselves in mismatched patterns and clashing colors. However, it’s not so cute when my husband does it… I figure if I want his help (and avoid any criticism that could dissuade such help) I need to keep things simple. The challenge is to still keep it interesting without splurging.

Big, bold patterns. Who knew a little dress could have such wow! And it’s CUTE too.

Lots of mix and match tees and bottoms means lots of variety.

Or plaid separates that go with everything.

Last, but not least…

Don’t Forget to Accessorize

Disclosure: I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. To read more toddler style tips, follow #cleverstyle on Twitter.